Thursday, June 04, 2015

Ducey plan may help short term but isn’t a permanent fix

STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Senate and House Democratic leaders released statements
on Governor Ducey’s proposed plan to distribute more money from the state-land
trust.

Senate
Democratic Leader Katie Hobbs:

“This week
the U.S. Census released a report showing Arizona spends less on K-12 education
than any other state. The source of our education funding crisis is the
systemic failure of Republican legislative leadership and the governor to fully
fund education at the level dictated both by the people of Arizona through Prop
301 and by the constitution of our state,” said Sen. Hobbs. “While Governor
Ducey's proposal could put much needed dollars in Arizona schools in the short
term, it is yet another band-aid on our kids' schools unless part of a broader,
permanent solution to their funding woes. His plan only covers ten years and
only works if the economy is stable over that time. What's more, if next year's
budget looks like this year's, any gains from this plan could be negated by
discretionary funding cuts made by Republican leaders.

“The
negligence of Republican leaders to fulfill their responsibility to Arizona
children can only be remedied through an honest settlement to the ongoing
inflation funding lawsuit and a consistent and sustainable source of sufficient
funding for our schools.

“Our priority should be to settle the lawsuit first, then consider this proposal. We
certainly hope Governor Ducey honors his commitment to collaborate with
education stakeholders, public school districts, charters and all members of
the legislature to craft a plan on which we can all agree.”

House
Democratic Leader Eric Meyer:

“Arizona
schools need money for classrooms, students and teachers now. We can’t afford
to wait until 2017. If the governor is serious about getting resources into
classrooms, he should agree to pay the more than $330 million in inflation funding
that the courts have ruled our schools are due,” said Rep. Meyer.

“The
governor’s plan might be part of a broader solution, as long as the money goes
to classrooms and does not deplete the state’s constitutionally protected
school funding nest egg for future generations. If this is the best option the
governor can come up with, it’s not enough. It could increase per pupil
funding, but after years of Republican education cuts, it will only be a drop
in the bucket. This could be one part of a comprehensive plan to increase
education funding, but it is not a solution in and of itself. The issues our
schools, children and teachers are facing will require a long-term plan to
increase investment in our classrooms.”